Those who have a pure heart will be peacemakers.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be merciful. This isn’t perfect, because these inner characteristics and outer attitudes are totally connected. Then next week we’ll consider the remaining three beatitudes which speak more about our inner condition-hunger and thirst for righteousness and purity of heart-and then how people often treat us as a result of those things. We’re going to look at verse 5, 7, and 9, which speak about the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers. So what I did, for today, was select the three beatitudes that speak about our attitude and actions towards others. But how best to do that can be kind of tricky. There is too many of them to fit into one sermon, so I had to divide them up somehow. Now I really struggled this week as I looked at the rest of the Beatitudes.
And these are blessed, they have the good life, because they will be comforted in God’s kingdom. Jesus also pronounced blessing on those who mourn over sin-theirs and others.
Last week we also introduced this first section of the sermon, called the Beatitudes, so named because of how each statement begins with the word “blessed.” Last week we considered the first two beatitudes, where Jesus told us that those who are blessed, those who have the good life, are poor in spirit-in other words, they know that they are spiritually bankrupt and have nothing to offer God and they can only throw themselves on His mercy.
Easily the most recognized section of Matthew and quite possibly some of the most recognized passages in the whole Bible, the Sermon on the Mount is a powerful section of teaching by Jesus which unpacks and unfolds the gospel of the Kingdom for us in a way that is still incredibly relevant 2,000 years later. Last week our journey through the gospel of Matthew brought us to chapter 5 and the sermon on the mount.
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